“You ‘pay’ your tithe. You don’t ‘give’ it. You can’t give what you owe. And you ‘owe’ God your tithe. So, ‘giving’ must be above the ten percent you ‘owe’ Him. And this giving (above ten percent) is an expression of your faith. So, if your faith is going to grow each year, the percentage of your income that you give each year must grow as well.”
For many years, the churches we attended held an annual Mission Conference. At the end of the conference, each family was urged to make a financial commitment to the Mission Fund which would go to support missionaries selected by the church. This portion was supposed to be over-and-above their tithe. The opening statement above summarizes my understanding of giving as a result of those conferences.
How does this message relate to your ideas about giving?
Would you make any adjustments to it? What scriptures would you rely on?
What passages come to mind when you think of “tithing”?
The major passages on tithing from the Mosaic Law are listed below. What things stand out to you in each passage?
- Leviticus 27:30-33
- Numbers 18:21-32
- Deuteronomy 12:5-19
- Deuteronomy 14:22-29
So, should we tithe today? We’ll continue this discussion next week.